Atrium Statues

The focal point of the lobby Atrium of the Casey Tibbs South Dakota Rodeo Center is the bronze statues of Casey Tibbs and Mattie Goff-Newcombe, sculpted by South Dakotan Tony Chytka.

The sculpture on the left captures Casey Tibbs in the moments just before his ten seconds of glory on a bucking bronc began. The artist, Tony Chytka, grew up attending weekend rodeos on his family's ranch and later entered the arena as a professional bull rider. This deep understanding of rodeo competition and the ranching lifestyle influences all of Chytka's work.

Mattie Goff-Newcombe performed with exuberance and joy, traits clearly visible in this sculpture of her famous Liberty Stand. Tony Chytka based this work on a photograph of Mattie performing at the Faith Fair and Rodeo in 1928. Unlike most sculptors, Chytka does his own bronze casting and finish work at his foundry near Belle Fouche.